


The Greatest Adventure of All

by Fiachra



Series: Luke Skywalker: Ace Pilot [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Aroace Luke Skywalker, Aromantic Luke Skywalker, Asexual Luke Skywalker, Cool Uncle, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Humor, Puns & Word Play, Well he's trying, hey look I fixed ben solo yay!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-01-16
Packaged: 2019-03-05 10:19:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13385775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fiachra/pseuds/Fiachra
Summary: "It did occur to Luke that he had no idea of what a cool uncle actually did. Sure, Uncle Owen was cool in his own way, if you squinted, but other than that Luke hadn’t a clue.It also occurred to him that he had no idea what to do with babies. When he imagined bonding with his niece or nephew he skipped ahead to when they could hold their head up and had some degree of independence at least.Judging by Han’s blank look when he brought this up the father-to-be had no idea either."Luke is going to be an uncle. How hard can it be?





	The Greatest Adventure of All

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PirateArrowXAB](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PirateArrowXAB/gifts).



> Written for @acesinspace AroAce Luke Fic Drive, so thanks to them for the setting this up.  
> The prompt was from @piratearrowxab (who also read this before posting, thanks friend!): I'd love a story where everyone is asking about Luke settling down and teaching the jedi values to a kid or two? Hero, jedi, father? And he just smiles in Leia's direction and corrects them with 'Hero, jedi, cool uncle'. The coolest. Also a complete mess but he's trying. Basically the adventures of cool ace uncle and Skywalker-Solo chaos baby (Bonus if you fix the complete mess that is current Ben Solo)

The speed at which people started settling down after the Empire was defeated was startling. Before Luke knew it, marriages and babies started popping up all over the place, along with the same irritating questions:

“So, Luke, have you got a special someone?”

“When are you having kids?”

At best, Luke would garble out some nonsense at not being interested, or that he was busy. At worst, he’d make up an excuse and flee.

(The time he’d screamed at a pilot that he was perfectly normal thank you very much when she suggested relationship counselling was an outlier and should not be counted.)

“I swear, if I hear one more person ask me about my love life, or make that stupid little _smirk_ at whoever is in my company at the time I am going to strangle someone.” Luke said as he collapsed on Han and Leia’s couch.

“Breaking news: Jedi driven to the Dark Side by people not minding their own business,” Han said dryly, putting his arm around Leia. “But we think we may be able to keep them at bay for a while.”

Luke looked back and forward between them both, a smile spreading across his face when he realised he was picking up on a spark, a tiny glimmer of a fourth life in the room.

“You’re pregnant.”

“Damn Force,” Leia said, but she seemed unable to keep a smile off her face or her happiness from bubbling from her mind to his. Then they were whooping and falling into each other’s arms in a way they hadn’t since the Battle of Yavin.

***

“So tell me,” a senator who Luke had never seen before leans across the table, batting their eyelashes, “I imagine being a hero and Jedi lends itself to quite _exotic_ adventures,” Luke tried very hard not to shudder at the implication in their words, “but what about settling down? Starting a family?”

Luke looked across at Leia, who was trying to sip water gracefully despite Luke telling her mentally exactly what he thought of the exotic quote.

“Nah,” he said brightly, “I plan on being the cool uncle.”

***

It did occur to Luke that he had no idea of what a cool uncle actually did. Sure, Uncle Owen was cool in his own way, if you squinted, but other than that Luke hadn’t a clue. It also occurred to him that he had no idea what to do with babies. When he imagined bonding with his niece or nephew he skipped ahead to when they could hold their head up and had some degree of independence at least.

Judging by Han’s blank look when he brought this up the father-to-be had no idea either.

***

“What are you two doing?”

“Reading.”

Leia frowned at what Han thought was an innocent expression but clearly wasn’t and snatched his data pad.

“ _What to Expect When You’re Expecting_. Really?”

“Yeah,” Han said, despite his slowly reddening face. “Luke’s reading it too.”

“Hey, you said I’d always be part of the family so I’m showing solidarity. But Leia this sounds awful I’m so glad I never want to have sex.”

Leia doubled over, shrieking with laughter.

***

_Leia what if I drop them? What if trip over them or accidentally drop my lightsaber on them?_

_You’ll be fine Luke, trust me. Now kindly get out of my head and go to sleep._

***

As it turns out, Luke shows more solidarity than he anticipated. Whenever he’s near Leia he can feel the tiny Force signature grow, and he finds when he’s using their bond to communicate it he’s still aware of it. Sometimes he’s convinced he feels it trying to reach out to him. It’s then Luke realises it’s not an it, but a he.

(It’s not his _entirely_ his fault that he spoiled the surprise for Han is it? He just couldn’t help his excitement, and Han had never explicitly _said_ -)

“I should have realised earlier,” Luke moans to himself when he’s woken up yet again by a bout of nausea.

Han finds this hilarious.

That is, until he and Luke are in the Falcon, several systems away from Leia, and Luke yelps in pain, clutching his abdomen.

“Han, we need to go back.”

“Did you eat something funny again?”

“No,” he groaned and sent a message to Leia to try to damp the link down from her end, “I’m, we’re, argh, Leia’s in labour.”

“Really? Okay I’m on it. Hey, this will be a funny story, remember that time when both Luke and Leia went into labour together?

_“Han!”_

Luke has never seen Han jump to lightspeed that quickly.

***

After much cursing, screaming from both twins, and yet more cursing, Luke is finally, finally holding his tiny nephew. Apart from his inner monologue of _don’t drop him don’t drop him don’t drop him_ he thinks it’s going pretty well. Luke reaches out ever so gently with the Force and tries to send reassuring messages of love and family.

Ben smiles and drools on him, which he presumes is a good sign.

***

“Han,” Luke groans at some ridiculous hour of the morning, “if I ever say I want kids please slap me.”

Han, who had been slumped over the counter, blinks a few times before answering. “Kid, if _I_ ever say I want more I expect the same from you. Making them is less exhausting.”

Luke is about to make a snarky reply that that is not true if you happen to be next door or share a mental link with one of the participants, but Han has already fallen asleep on the counter.

***

“Ben, will you _please_ stop crying?”

Luke sighs as he continues to pace around the living room, bouncing the wailing bundle in his arms. Babysitting for the weekend is slightly more difficult than expected. He’d tried using the Force, but Ben had stubbornly continued to cry.

“You miss your mom, don’t you? I missed mine too, still do sometime. Pity Aunt Beru isn’t here, she’d know what to do.”

Ben paused mid-scream and seemed to consider this. Luke grinned.

“Stories, okay, I can do stories. Let me see, there was this one time when my friend Biggs and I got in so much trouble-“

When Han and Leia open the door, they find Luke still pacing, a sleepy Ben in his arms and humming an old Tatooinian lullaby he’d thought he’d long forgotten.

***

  


“What is going on here?”

Ben shrieks with delight at seeing his mother and tumbles off Luke’s back.

“Luke’s a dragon!”

“Is he now?” Leia grins. “What sort of dragon?”

“A black and purple one!”

Luke shrugs and there are smiles all around.

  


“What is going on here?”

Luke winces at his sister’s less than benevolent tone.

“We umm, we tried baking.”

“Baking.”

“That’s what I used to do with Aunt Beru sometimes, and this article suggested it-“

“Then why is there flour on my ceiling?”

Luke and Ben shared a sheepish look.

“We tried to use the Force.”

***

  


It occurred to Luke, several times, that he often had no idea how to deal with children. It also occurred to him, several times, that his childhood wasn’t always a suitable template to use.

“You _what?!_ ”

“So you’re telling me that practising somewhat risky piloting skills _isn’t_ a suitable uncle-nephew bonding activity?”

  


The sound of glass smashing was unmistakeable.

Maybe the training saber wasn’t the best idea he’d ever had for a birthday present.

***

  


“Uncle Luke?”

“Hmm?”

“How come you don’t have someone like mom and dad do?”

_Oh dear._

“Well, I don’t feel that way,” Luke started, keenly aware of the seven-year-old’s eyes on him. “I’ve never really wanted that kind of relationship. I have all the family I need.” He tickled Ben’s stomach, who squealed with laughter. 

  


Luke jerked awake as he felt a timid presence seek him out. He sat up, blinking at the small figure in his doorway.  
“Ben?”

“I…” Ben faltered, “I had a nightmare.”

Luke was wide awake now, he had his fair share of nightmares as a child, and those of Force sensitives were often particularly brutal.

“Do you want to tell me about it?”

Ben shook his head, staring at his feet.

“Do you want to spend the night with me?” he wasn’t sure if that was something Han and Leia still did, but he didn’t want to send Ben back to an unfamiliar bed if that would only make things worse.

Ben hesitated.

“I don’t mind, besides,” here Luke lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “I’ve special powers that make me invisible, so you’ll be invisible too.”

Ben smiled shyly and climbed up next to Luke, tucking himself into his side and promptly falling asleep again. Luke frowned, he’d thought he’d sensed something malevolent at the edge of his consciousness, but now it was gone. He enfolded Ben in his own mental protection, and placed his arm over him.

***

“What do you mean Chewie is your favourite uncle?”

“You’re my favourite _human_ uncle. There’s a difference.”

***

“Luke, can we go to the zoo?”

“Sure.”

“Thanks, you’re ace.”

“Damn right I am.”

“Mom said cursing wasn’t allowed.”

Luke snorted, Leia cursed more than he and Han put together.

***

  


The apartment is very quiet with no-one there. Ben had never really noticed before. But his mother is busy until later, his father is off-world, and Luke-  
Ben slipped off the stool and picked up the comm. It beeped for a long time before Luke answered.

“Ben! Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, I just-“

Luke looks over his shoulder at the sudden muffled yelling. “Ben I’m really sorry, but I have to go, I think something’s been set on fire, but I’ll call you later okay?”

His uncle’s holo flickers out of existence, and the apartment feels even emptier.

  


It is late in the evening when Luke finished dealing with the fire incident. He loves his students, but they can be a handful. At twelve, he thinks Ben is about ready to join them. He picks up his comm and waits. Ben answers, looking solemn.

“Hi, I’m sorry I had to cut you off earlier, do you want to chat now?”

His nephew shakes his head. “No, I’m tired, I think I’m going to sleep now.”

“Oh, okay, sleep well and-“

The call ends abruptly. Luke turns to Artoo, who whistles plaintively.

“Was that my fault?”

Despite Artoo reassuring him it wasn’t, he feels guilty.

***

Luke smirks as he watches his nephew track a girl walking across the courtyard with poorly veiled interest.

“She’s pretty.” Luke says grinning mischievously.

“Oh, shut up, how would you know anyway?”

“I’m asexual, not _blind_.”

***

“Again.”

Ben snarls as he rushes at Luke, swinging his saber with wild abandon. Luke sidesteps each blow with no effort at all.

“Stay calm, emotion is good but you need to be in control. I think you should do some more meditation for the rest of the afternoon.”

Ben stalks off, bad mood almost visible, and Luke sighs. Teaching can be challenging, but when it’s your nephew it can be more so.

***

  


Ben is sixteen when Luke comforts Han and Leia, worry winding around them like an enormous serpent.

“I tried talking to him, we both did, but we don’t know what to do. I sense it, but-“

“Shh.” Luke pulled his sister and his brother-in-law to him. “I’ll see what I can do.

  


“Ben?”

No answer.

Luke steps into the room and almost staggers under the assault of his nephew’s Force presence. Normally controlled, it rages like a dark ocean, an ocean of fear and confusion. Luke feels sick. He’d been gone recently, and preoccupied, but how had he missed this?

“Ben?”

Ben raises his head, eyes red rimmed. He turns away from Luke.

“Hey now, don’t do that. Ben, I want to help. Please let me help. We’ll work through this together.”

Ben turns and for a split-second Luke feels the ocean gather itself into a tsunami before it recedes, and Ben falls into his arms in a way he hasn’t done since he was very small.

It is a weary smile he greets his sister with, but a smile all the same, and the sight of his family embracing makes it worth it.

Later, he takes Leia aside. “I think we have a bone to pick with a certain someone named Snoke…”

  


***

“Come one, there’s someone I want you to meet.”

Ben hangs back slightly as Luke enters the cool darkness of the cave. The Force sings here, and it’s quiet, perfect for this.

“Come on, you’ll like this, ace’s honour.”

Ben smiles and walks in. Leia is already there, and glowing with a pale blue light…

“Ben, meet your Grandfather.”

***

“Uncle Luke?”

“Hmm?”

The twenty-year-old shuffled awkwardly. “I’ve been thinking, I’m not sure if I want to be a Jedi anymore.”

“That’s okay, can I ask why?”

Ben blinked. “You’re not mad?”

“Why would I be mad? It’s your life, I wasn’t grooming you to be heir to a non-existent empire, you just seemed to like it. And initially we thought it important to teach you control.”

“I like learning about the Force,” Ben nodded, “but it’s not all I want to do, at least not right now.”

“Ben,” Luke said seriously, standing and placing his hands gently on his shoulders. Ben was taller than him now. “All I want is for you to do what makes you happy, same with your parents. Your freedom is what we fought for, I’m just glad you can talk to me about this.”

A grin. “You’re an ace uncle.”

Luke pulled him into a hug, “I know.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on Tumblr: @consultingzoologist


End file.
